The Lass And The Laird

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

1-8 Reels of three on the side, first couple crossing through second couples place, second couple dancing out and up and third couple in and up.
9-16 Reels of three on the side, first couple returning to own side by crossing through second place. At the end of the reels, the first couple and second couple accelerate so that the second couple finishes in first place and the first crossing down to second place on opposite sides and face out, as if they were dancing the first two bars of another of these crossing reels.
17-24 First couple cast lady up and man down around their first corners, dance towards each other up and down the set, lady between the second couple down and man between the third couple up to finish in the middle of the set, then pulling back their right shoulders dance back the way they have come (man down and lady up) to cast around their partner's second corner to finish in second place on own sides. (This movement is most effective if the dancing couple make it as round as possible, so that the dancing up/down is more of a loop, and hence at the end of bar 20 the dancing couple would be more left shoulder to left shoulder than fact to face.)
25-28 First couple dance back to back.
29-32 First couple dance with nearer hands up between the second couple and cast off into second place on own sides.

Repeat, having passed a couple.

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser Rod Downey, Johnsonville SCD Club Tutor)

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Dance Information

I have taught exactly this dance many times as my misreading of Jack McConachie's dance The Laird and the Lass. The first 16 bars are quite different than Jack's and rather easier.

Philippa Pointon pointed out my error and my wife Kristin suggested that the new dance be archived.
The name chosen reflects the influence of Jack's dance. I also follow his musical suggestions of "Up in the Morning Early", or "The Hopeless Lover", played AABB.

(Dance information from They Stole My Wife From Me Last Night Collection Of Scottish Country Dances, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Rod Downey)

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